Generations of pelicans fly

FROM humble beginnings to one of the most sought-after lifestyle destinations around, it has been an amazing journey for the development of Pelican Waters which will continue into the next decade.

Synonymous with Caloundra’s Henzell family, its roots stretch back to 1946 when Roy Henzell senior purchased 2000 acres of land reaching back from Golden Beach on the Pumicestone Passage for 2000 Pounds.

In 1961 his son Bevan Henzell took over with a vision of developing the land into a desirable residential community with a network of waterways.

Today, Bevan’s son Roy and his business partner, Garry Waters continue to oversee the direction and ongoing development of Pelican Waters.

The 810-hectare master-planned community has grown year by year since it was first released to the market in 1989.

It is home to the first Greg Norman-designed golf course in Queensland as well as Caloundra City School, a shopping centre, medical facilities, restaurants including a waterfront tavern and 5-star Crowne Plaza resort overlooking the Pelican Waters Golf Course.

The suburb, 40% of which is dedicated to open space, is centred around the golf course and offers a variety of land, houses, apartments, town houses and villa options - with a selection of water, golf course or parkland views available.

There are kilometres of purpose built walking and bike paths, wide and extensive waterways that flow into the magnificent Pumicestone Passage offering protected waterways with abundant white sandy beaches.

A boating enthusiast’s paradise, Pelican Waters is unique in that it is the only development on the Sunshine Coast offering true waterfront home sites with navigable deep water access.

Residents can enjoy the benefit of their own private marina berth at their back door and boating access to the pristine protected waterways of the Pumicestone Passage marine park and the prolific fishing grounds off-shore of Caloundra.

Over the 21 years since development commenced, Pelican Waters has grown from the vision of a marine and golf residential development adjacent to the sleepy waterside suburb of Golden Beach just south of Caloundra to now setting a high standard for master-planned residential communities in Australia.

The vibrant Sunshine Coast community boasts stunning waterfront homes that line the wide canals and new land precincts are being developed as quickly as possible to meet the ever-increasing demand for both waterfront and residential home sites.

Pelican Waters has evolved into a close-knit community of 5300 people comprising Sunshine Coast locals and many from abroad with an influx of national and international buyers who have searched far and wide only to have decided to call this slice of paradise home.

Over the next few years the heart of Pelican Waters will evolve with the construction of the new waterfront town centre that will become the meeting point for everyone living in the Pelican Waters community.

Chief Executive Officer Geoff Coleman says living in Pelican Waters is a combination of many things – ideally located at the southern end of Caloundra, with the pristine Pumicestone Passage on its eastern boundary and Bells Creek forming a natural barrier to further development Pelican Waters is a destination in its own right. It is a lovely quiet place to live and yet so close to everything else the Sunshine Coast has to offer.

“It is a complete community offering an unrivalled array of lifestyle choices where people of all ages can live, work and play,” he said.

The product at Pelican Waters is genuinely good value and caters for a wide range of budgets as is evident with the market acceptance and ever-increasing demand. It is a popular locality with families and retirees who enjoy safe streets and plenty of outdoor recreation areas.

Pelican Waters is located within easy access to a variety of the Sunshine Coast’s best educational facilities including primary and secondary schools, the University of the Sunshine Coast and Sunshine Coast TAFE.

Apart from a period of high sales numbers over 2007 and early 2008, demand for houses in Pelican Waters has remained steady over the past five years. Prices have likewise shown healthy growth over the same period.

New townhouse/villa complexes coming onto the market, have proven popular with investors, ansd has resulted in median rents for this property type increase substantially in recent times. Intending purchasers need to be ready as most new release stages sell out quickly.